Expanding parental leave
Cguarantees that new parents, biological or adoptive, can take 12 weeks off from work to care for their babies without worrying about losing their healthcare or their jobs. But here’s the catch: These benefits are available only to parents who work for companies that employ 50 or more people within a 75-mile radius. That’s about 41% of the state workforce.
If they work for a company with fewer than 50 workers, their bosses are under no obligation to continue to pay their healthcare benefits during their absence or to hold their jobs for them. This is patently unfair. Why should some parents get short shrift based simply on the number of people on their companies’ rosters?
Now, lawmakers are considering a bill that would extend the full benefits to about 2.7 million more Californians. SB 63 would require companies that employ 20 or more people to offer protected parental leave. That’s only about 15% more of the workforce. Nevertheless, it’s movement in the right direction.
Businesses are not happy about the proposed expansion, even though they don’t have to pay the employees who use the benefit. (That money comes from a state insurance fund.) Their lobbyists bemoan not just the potential costs of complying, but the risk of “shakedown” lawsuits from workers who contend that their employers didn’t provide what the law requires. But the California Family Rights Act has existed for 25 years without triggering an epidemic of lawsuits, and there’s no reason to believe the expansion will change that.
Of course, not all employees have children. And when they do, not all take parental leave. Still, there are costs associated with keeping a job open for 12 weeks. But society gets a return on this investment — research shows that parental leave produces healthier, better-adjusted babies. And according to one study, the vast majority of 253 California employers surveyed reported that paid family leave improved employee productivity and morale, boosted profitability and lowered employee turnover rates.
Working parents aren’t malingerers; they are taking on the tough task of raising the next generation while remaining gainfully employed. Regardless of how many people their company employs, they need the time and support to ensure they can do both jobs well. And given that they’re paying into the state’s parental leave program, they deserve the benefits no less than the workers who are already receiving them.